<a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote on which of these stories you like best</a> and CNN will send columnist John D. Sutter to the field to report on the top five as part of his new <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Change the List project</a>, which pushes for progress in places that need it most. Winning so far? <strong>Widest rich-poor gap:</strong> What's happening to America's middle class? One state may yield answers. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
Change the List: What should we cover? —
Vote on which of these stories you like best and CNN will send columnist John D. Sutter to the field to report on the top five as part of his new Change the List project, which pushes for progress in places that need it most. Winning so far? Widest rich-poor gap: What's happening to America's middle class? One state may yield answers. Vote here.
Spencer Platt/Getty Images
<strong>Free speech crackdown:</strong> One country ranks lower than North Korea when it comes to free speech. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
Change the List: What should we cover? —
Free speech crackdown: One country ranks lower than North Korea when it comes to free speech. Vote here.
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<strong>No toilets:</strong> In one country, 90% of people don't have access to basic sanitation. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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No toilets: In one country, 90% of people don't have access to basic sanitation. Vote here.
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<strong>America's most endangered river:</strong> Most U.S. rivers are unsuitable for aquatic life, the EPA says. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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America's most endangered river: Most U.S. rivers are unsuitable for aquatic life, the EPA says. Vote here.
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<strong>Malaria at its deadliest:</strong> Malaria-infected mosquitoes killed an estimated 660,000 people in 2010. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Malaria at its deadliest: Malaria-infected mosquitoes killed an estimated 660,000 people in 2010. Vote here.
CDC
<strong>Saddest of the rich countries:</strong> Australia is the happiest, according to one survey. Who could use cheering up? <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Saddest of the rich countries: Australia is the happiest, according to one survey. Who could use cheering up? Vote here.
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<strong>No Internet -- in the U.S.:</strong> Pockets of the United States have little high-speed Internet access. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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No Internet -- in the U.S.: Pockets of the United States have little high-speed Internet access. Vote here.
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<strong>Where rape is common:</strong> Women in some communities face disproportionate rates of rape and violence. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Where rape is common: Women in some communities face disproportionate rates of rape and violence. Vote here.
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<strong>High-school dropouts:</strong> Many U.S. schools are failing their students. Where is the problem worst? <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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High-school dropouts: Many U.S. schools are failing their students. Where is the problem worst? Vote here.
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<strong>Poor kids in the rich world:</strong> Kids in extreme poverty suffer stunting and malnutrition. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Poor kids in the rich world: Kids in extreme poverty suffer stunting and malnutrition. Vote here.
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<strong>Mothers die in childbirth:</strong> In one country, one in 100 live births kills the mother. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Mothers die in childbirth: In one country, one in 100 live births kills the mother. Vote here.
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<strong>Roads that kill:</strong> Smarter laws could prevent many of the 1.3 million annual road traffic fatalities. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Roads that kill: Smarter laws could prevent many of the 1.3 million annual road traffic fatalities. Vote here.
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<strong>Polio still cripples:</strong> Polio has been 99% eradicated, but three countries stand in the way. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Polio still cripples: Polio has been 99% eradicated, but three countries stand in the way. Vote here.
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<strong>Where women aren't in government:</strong> The barriers aren't formal, but five countries have almost no female representation. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Where women aren't in government: The barriers aren't formal, but five countries have almost no female representation. Vote here.
RABIH MOGHRABI/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Illegal animal trade:</strong> Illicit trade in animal parts lines pockets and empties ecosystems. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Illegal animal trade: Illicit trade in animal parts lines pockets and empties ecosystems. Vote here.
CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Leprosy remains a scourge:</strong> The WHO says more than 200,000 cases of leprosy are diagnosed each year. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Leprosy remains a scourge: The WHO says more than 200,000 cases of leprosy are diagnosed each year. Vote here.
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<strong>Conflict is never-ending:</strong> The longest-running and deadliest conflicts aren't always in the news. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Conflict is never-ending: The longest-running and deadliest conflicts aren't always in the news. Vote here.
YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP/Getty Images
<strong>Likely to be locked up:</strong> Which U.S. state has the highest incarceration rate? And why? <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Likely to be locked up: Which U.S. state has the highest incarceration rate? And why? Vote here.
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<strong>Land mines end lives:</strong> Land mines still kill thousands per year. What can be done to remove them? <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
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Land mines end lives: Land mines still kill thousands per year. What can be done to remove them? Vote here.
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<strong>Drug-dependent state:</strong> U.S. demand ultimately drives the illicit drug trade and cartel violence. <a href="index.php?page=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.cnn.com%2Fchangethelist">Vote here.</a>
Change the List: What should we cover? —
Drug-dependent state: U.S. demand ultimately drives the illicit drug trade and cartel violence. Vote here.
MARTIN BERNETTI/AFP/Getty Images